Our two volunteers from Goodgym Lewisham, Phil and Sander, passed their first challenge - to carry their bikes across the full flow of Mile 8-marathoners 💪

Once at the garden we figured it out as we went along. We’d recently been donated wooden planters and bags of topsoil from construction company Wates. Sander wheelbarrowed 40+ bags of topsoil down to the raised beds. Then Phil filled beds so that we could plant out the saplings and some bright flowers to provide cheer to the passers by.

Regular volunteers planted out seedlings and labelled the produce. Once it’s bearing fruit, we’ll welcome back Goodgym and Wates to share the harvest. Opening every first and third Sunday of the month, there will always be weeding, watering and planting to do.

It was genuinely so helpful to have two pairs of extra hands this weekend as we lifted heavy things that would take hours solo! Thank you 🙏

We dug up some invasive plants from the flower beds, took these to the compost pile, then trimmed a hedge that overhung a fence and was bending it down. The fence straightened up again. The weeding involved bending and straightening oneself as usual, but the body was not the only thing doing that. The digging tended to bend the tines of the pitchfork, but these could be bent back by putting the pitchfork on the asphalt and stepping on it. It was a nice day for gardening. My first time in Luxmore Gardens, which are quite beautiful and peaceful.

It was appropriate that the final bit of the the back garden work for Mr J was banging in copper nails into the remnants of the ivy (to poison it) along with a bit of weeding. The blossom, leading to fruit, of past labour was looking beautiful today.

I was ‘helped’ by next door’s dog who sniffed around everything I’d weeded and dug over, ignoring calls from its humans until it started raining when there was a swift retreat into the dry!

A straightforward but very heavy shop for Mr J today which ended up overflowing the trolley - it was a good job that I had my rucksack with me!
Spent longer than usual on the mission as Mr J seems quite lonely as his wife is in hospital on the moment. It was as much social visit as it was shopping today.

The goal was to get the ironing board accessible, but like most store cupboards it’s a game of Tetris or Jenga to get to things and then find new ways of putting it all back! Mission accomplished - so that’s GoodGym 1, dodgy cupboards nil!

Another week, another double task group run! This week we were heading up and over the hills to Seniors (I'll be having words with whoever planned that around my tired marathon legs...) and we had a team dropped off at the Tiny to complete the mulching.

The team at Seniors had the wholesome task of weeding and raised bed and then planting broad beans, making sure the roots were fully encased in compost and giving them a good water.

Next up we had to dig the potato bed, removing the weeds so that a new crop of potatoes can be planted. We had a good go at clearing the bed in the time we had left but didn't quite get round to digging the trenches.

It was then time for the journey back to Glass Mill and I had to admit there was no chance I would make it back. The team tackled those hills and regrouped with the mulching group in Ladywell Fields.

With all the mulching done, it was an evening of two tasks well done!